French lesbian love story wins top prize at Cannes

French lesbian love story wins top prize at Cannes

(Reuters) - An intimate lesbian love story by French director Abdellatif Kechiche won the top prize in Cannes on Sunday, and the film festival's director immediately urged the large crowds protesting against gay marriage in Paris to go and see it. "La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2" (Blue is the Warmest Colour) was chosen from a field of 20 films exploring sex, violence and emotional anguish which were vying for the Palme d'Or, one of the most coveted film awards after the Oscars. Critics picked the three-hour film as a possible winner at the 66th Cannes festival, but wondered if its explicit lesbian sex scenes - one lasting up to 10 minutes - would deter the jury deciding the awards led by U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg. In an unusual move, Spielberg said the award would be shared between Kechiche and his two lead actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux as they were central to the film's success. "I think it will get a lot of play ... I think this film carries a very strong message, a very positive message," Spielberg told journalists. "It was the perfect choice between those two actresses and this incredible very sensitive and observant filmmaker." Spielberg said he supported same-sex marriage, but downplayed any suggestion the award was to promote this cause. Festival director Thierry Fremaux said the film was timely, as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris on Sunday to protest France's recent legalization of same-sex marriage. "Everyone who is against same-sex marriage or love between two people of the same sex must see the film," he told Reuters. Kechiche, a Tunisia-born actor who made his directorial debut in 2000, was virtually speechless as he accepted the award, which he dedicated to the youth of France and Tunisia who, during the Arab Spring, "wanted only to live, speak and love freely." "La Vie d'Adele" is an emotional tale of love and sexuality centred on 15-year-old Adele (Exarchopoulos) and her lover Emma (Seydoux) that follows the course of their tumultuous relationship. WORLD'S LARGEST Critics had also considered as a forerunner "Inside Llewyn Davis" about a struggling New York folk singer by the American Coen brothers Ethan and Joel, which was named as runner-up. The third prize went to Japanese director Kore-Eda Hirokazu for the baby-swapping drama "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru" (Like Father, Like Son) while the best director award went to Mexico's Amat Escalante for his brutal look at Mexico's drug war, "Heli". American Bruce Dern, 76, won a best actor award in Alexander Payne's road trip film "Nebraska," beating out Michael Douglas, who was widely praised for his performance as flamboyant pianist Liberace in Steven Soderbergh's "Behind the Candelabra." French actress Berenice Bejo ("The Artist") won the best actress award in Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's tense domestic drama "Le Passe" (The Past). Before the ceremony, stars including Kim Novak and Laetitia Casta signed autographs and posed for photographers on the red carpet in blazing sunshine, a contrast to the festival's opening ceremony on May 15 when umbrellas took over in the rain. The awards ended the 2013 edition of the world's largest film festival, where up to 40,000 film professionals also bought and sold titles on the bustling marketplace hidden away from the glitzy promotional circuit of parties and stunts. (Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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ABC adds 12 shows, including 'S.H.I.E.L.D.,' 'Lucky 7'

ABC adds 12 shows, including 'S.H.I.E.L.D.,' 'Lucky 7'

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is coming to the small screen. ABC today picked up Marvel's first TV series, which focuses on a small group of agents from the worldwide law-enforcement agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. They investigate the strange and unknown in an effort to protect the public. The network also picked up 11 other series, including Super Fun Night, which stars Rebel Wilson, and The Goldbergs. Renewals include Modern Family, The Middle, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Castle, Nashville, Once Upon a Time, Last Man Standing, Revenge and Suburgatory. No word yet on The Neighbors. The ending wasn't happy for Happy Endings, which was canceled, as were Malibu Country, How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Body of Proof and Red Widow. Which of the new shows will kick off the fall season, and on which nights they'll air, will be announced when the network presents its fall lineup to advertisers next week in New York. The network's seven drama pickups include: - S.H.I.E.L.D., in which Clark Gregg, a veteran of Marvel's feature films, brings his character, Agent Phil Coulson, to TV. Coulson oversees a group of agents that includes Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), who is trained in combat and espionage; Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), a pilot and martial artist; Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), an engineer; and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), a biochemist. Computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet) joins them. Joss Whedon, director of Marvel's The Avengers, is the executive producer of the much-anticipated show. ABC will provide a first look at S.H.I.E.L.D. during Sunday's season finale of Once Upon a Time (8 p.m. ET/PT). - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, from Once executive producers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. In Victorian England, Alice (Sophie Lowe) finds a strange new land on the other side of a rabbit hole. John Lithgow provides the voice of the White Rabbit. - Lucky 7, which centers on seven Queens gas station employees who are part of a long-running lottery pool. Matt Long, Stephen Louis Grush, Summer Bishil, Lorraine Bruce, Anastasia Phillips, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., and Luis Antonio Ramos play the seven, who could all use the money to solve life's problems. - Betrayal, in which a photographer (Hannah Ware) and a lawyer (Stuart Townsend) share an immediate attraction, even though each is married to someone else. Just as their affair starts, they find themselves on opposite sides of a murder investigation. Chris Johnson, Wendy Moniz, James Cromwell and Henry Thomas also star. - Mind Games, which features Steve Zahn and Christian Slater playing brothers who are partners in a business designed to solve clients' problems using the science of psychological manipulation. Zahn's Clark is a former professor who has bipolar disorder, while Slater's Ross is a con man who spent time in prison. Megalyn Echikunwoke, Cedric Sanders, Gregory Marcel and Wynn Everett also star. - Resurrection, in which the people of a Missouri town find their deceased loved ones starting to return. A sheriff (Matt Craven), among others, tries to resolve the mystery. Omar Epps, Kurtwood Smith and Frances Fisher are cast members. - Killer Women, which features Molly Parker (Tricia Helfer) as the only female in an elite squad of lawmen, the Texas Rangers. When some law enforcement officials want to see her fail, the Rangers provide support for Molly. The comedies include: - Super Fun Night, which features Conan O'Brien as an executive producer. Night focuses on junior lawyer Kimmie Boubier (Wilson) and her two best friends, played by Liza Lapira and Lauren Ash. They share a Friday fun night, but Kimmie's promotion complicates the tradition as new social and professional opportunities open for her. - The Goldbergs, which goes back to the 1980s and stars Wendi McClendon-Covey and Jeff Garlin as parents of three, including an 11-year-old son who wields a video camera. George Segal plays the grandfather. - Trophy Wife, which features Malin Akerman as Kate, a reformed party girl who becomes the third wife of Pete (Bradley Whitford). That means an instant family of three stepchildren and two ex-wives. Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins play the ex-wives. Kate relies on best friend Meg (Natalie Morales), a single woman who likes to party, for support. - Back in the Game, which features Maggie Lawson as an all-star softball player who faced a few curveballs: a baby, a lost college scholarship and a loser for a husband. She and her athletically challenged son (Griffin Gluck), move in with her father (James Caan), an opinionated, beer-guzzling ex-jock, and everything changes when her son decides he wants to play baseball.


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